New Role for Microsoft Veteran Craig Mundie

Craig Mundie Microsoft 's chief research and strategy officer, is taking a new role and plans to retire in 2014.

Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, has taken a new role as a senior adviser to Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

The company also says Mundie, who has worked at Microsoft for 20 years, plans to retire in 2014 after he turns 65 years old. All Things Digital earlier reported news of Mundie’s new post, which was described in an internal memo Ballmer circulated earlier this month.

After he retires, both of the men Chairman Bill Gates selected to take over his technical responsibilities will no longer be at the company.

When Gates announced in 2006 that he was would be leaving full-time work at Microsoft, he tapped Ray Ozzie, a well-respected software programmer, to take over Gates’s role as “chief software architect.” Ozzie left Microsoft about two years ago. Gates charged Mundie with spotting emerging technology trends, and he also oversaw Microsoft’s research-and-development activities.

Mundie first joined Microsoft in 1992, and over his career has worked on projects including videogames, interactive TV and software for cellphones. He also has had significant roles at Microsoft in software-and-Internet security and in government regulatory policy.

In his role as senior adviser to the CEO, Mundie will continue to work with policy makers and governments, Ballmer said in the internal memo. Ballmer also said Mundie will work on “key strategic projects.”

Microsoft executive Eric Rudder now will be responsible for Microsoft’s research arm, the Internet-and-software security group and other projects that had reported to Mundie.

“I look forward to working with Eric on a broader scope of the company’s businesses and partnering closely with Craig on the company’s future opportunities,” Ballmer said in his memo.

A spokesman for Microsoft said Mundie isn’t commenting on his new role.